Of Hearts and Shells - Turtle Doves
by ravenshell
Summary: Don and April prepare for their life together, but the best man has been kidnapped by a new mutant, Shredder is on the prowl, and a lovely lady has her eye on Raph, with less than honorable intentions. Part 2 of the OHAS series. Apritello, Leorai, Raph/Mona
1. Prologue

Of Hearts and Shells: Turtle Doves

 **Author's Note:** It was my original intention to not post this work until it was fully completed, but I'm getting anxious holding back, so here you go... I'll start releasing this fic by chapter periodically. I've been keeping busy beta-reading for several folks, so progress on my own works has been slow... but I'll push ahead on! **hummerhouse** has recommended a cross-posting system; this fic will be posted in full form at AFF, Ao3, and Stealthy Stories, and the prologue and part of chapter 1 will be released on Deviant Art and .

The 'turtle' in the Shakespeare poem below is actually a turtle dove, not an actual turtle, but I drew some connections between "The Turtle and the Phoenix" and Don and April.

And now, the Prologue, with 60% recycled content! This is your 'previously on...' plus a little.

Hope you enjoy! Please leave me a review! I love hearing from you and hearing what I can improve to make this series the best it can be! 3 R/s

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"Literature is mostly about having sex and not much about having children; life is the other way around."

- _David Lodge_

So they lov'd, as love in twain  
Had the essence but in one;  
Two distincts, division none:  
Number there in love was slain.

Hearts remote, yet not asunder;  
Distance, and no space was seen  
'Twixt the turtle and his queen;  
But in them it were a wonder.

So between them love did shine,  
That the turtle saw his right  
Flaming in the phoenix' sight:  
Either was the other's mine.

- _from "The Phoenix and the Turtle," William Shakespeare_

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."  
 _\- A.A. Milne_

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Prologue

 _Two months prior:_

Raphael crouched behind a decorative hedge in Central Park, Donatello at his side, the two of them watching several Kraang construct what appeared to be a petting zoo and a carousel. A number of standard farm animals arrived in front of them, as well as an large iguana, an ostrich, and a camel, as the Kraang seemed to have a poor grasp of what belonged in a petting zoo.

For good measure, one of the Kraang droids added a container labeled "Hand Sanitizer" to a post of the little menagerie, and opening the top, poured in the contents of a flask of mutagen.

Disgust graced Raph's featured. "That is just deranged..."

Then Leo had called everyone's attention to the eight canisters of mutagen bound to the outer struts of the carousel's canopy. In their efforts to retrieve the mutagen from the carousel, despite the pouring rainstorm, they were spotted. A mass of Kraang robots attacked. April, who had just been catching and stashing the canisters as Donnie and Raph unscrewed and pried them loose, suddenly became the focus of the Kraang's attention. In an attempt to draw the army of androids away from the turtles on the carousel, she led them into a spiral, then let off a mind-blast, deadening a number of them, yet she was pursued by a dozen outside the range of her blast.

Still carrying one of the containers of mutagen, she sought refuge by climbing up the rigging of the carousel. The Kraang followed, climbing up after her. One reached for her as she felt her hair start to stand on end despite the rain. "Catch!" she yelled at the Kraang as she threw the mutagen in the air. She leapt away, letting the fabric of the canopy break her fall as the Kraang, container, and carousel were struck by a blinding, deafening bolt of lightning. The mutagen itself turned the pinkish-white of the lightning bolt, and as it fell, was pierced by laser-fire from the ongoing battle, splashing April with it despite Leo's attempt to push her out of the way. As the turtles mopped up the rest of the Kraang, she reemerged, transformed into…

"What am I?" she asked agonizingly as she wobbled on unfamiliar feet. She had her eyes clenched closed, refusing to look at herself in fear.

"You're a t—" Donnie started, and his voice died as he took in the vision before him. "You're a turtle..." She let out a sobbing breath that was partly mournful but mostly relief as she fell into his arms. Still stunned, he pulled her to him, patting her shell. "It's all right... I'll look after you..."

Sirens sounded, nearing their location. "Let's grab the mutagen and get underground," Leo commanded in a subdued tone.

Donnie paused, picking up the remains of the container of pinkish mutagen—he would need to analyze it to figure out why April had transformed despite her immunity, and from there, produce a retro-mutagen for her. She clung to him, wobbly, shocked, and upset. He led her to a nearby grating that the others were jumping down into and caught her by the carapace as she lost her balance on the leap down.

She sniffled as they walked the long distance back toward the lair. "Does it… look bad?"

Don beamed down at her. "No, Sweetheart…" he tried to assure her, finding himself at a loss for words. Their recent breakup made their close contact now feel rather awkward, so he fell back on his old standby, babbling about science. "I don't know how this could have happened… somehow this mutagen bypassed your immunity. It must have some special properties that the regular mutagen doesn't… but I'll have to thoroughly analyze it when we get back to the lair. Good thing the rain didn't ruin it." He looked down to her, noticing that all his science talk wasn't helping; she still had tears in her eyes. "Don't worry… I'll find a way to get you back to normal," he comforted. The distraught, tearful look didn't leave her face, but she nestled her head against his shoulder as he continued to aid her balance.

A few yards behind them, Mikey was in near-rapture. "Look at them! They're so cute! Oh my god! Raph, don't you think so?"

"Mmmh…" Raph grumbled, looking away.

"Come on… I know you want to see Donny and April happy, right?"

"Mikey, shut up! I'm trying to think of something…"

"Is it about Donnie and April? 'cause that's all I can think about! Eeee!—whoops!" He dropped one of the mutagen canisters he'd been carrying.

"Goddammit, Mikey!" Raphael stuck a foot out, catching the falling vessel on his ankle. "Focus, wouldja, idiot?! The last thing we need is more mutagen spilled all over the place!"

"Sorry…" the younger turtle apologized, reclaiming the container from his brother's ankle.

Raph growled, wrinkling his brow and shaking his head, trying to make the fleeting thought he'd had come back to him. It probably didn't help that his gaze kept being drawn to April's shell, and the odd way it sculpted to her feminine form. He traced the figure-8 outline of it down to her tail as it swayed slightly with each step she took, then shook himself. No, April's ass was not what he was trying to remember… It was… something else, he knew, but what? The harder he tried to grasp at it, the more it eluded him, and the more it eluded him, the more it pissed him off. He sighed in annoyance, turning to Mikey. "You ever get the feeling you forgot something really important?" Mikey took a breath, about to answer when Raph interrupted. "Nevermind, of course _you_ have…"

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Officer Terrance Boyd stepped out of his patrol car at the northwest corner of Central Park. He and his partner, Matt Young, had responded to a call about an out-of-control unauthorized fireworks show in the park. What he found instead was a broken-down and abandoned carousel and a very strange collection of animals in a pen bordered by one of the park's ornamental hedges. A pair of piglets and some pygmy goats nibbled at a mangled sack of potatoes. An ostrich approached him from the side and attempted a peck at his badge. "Whoa there, champ. That's not for you!" Giving up on the badge and taking interest in one of the officer's shirt buttons instead, the ostrich pecked at him twice more. Boyd smacked it lightly in the head. "Get off, or I'm fining you for attempted theft and assault on an officer!" He told it mockingly and shoved it away. "Dumb animal… Matt!"

"Yeah, Terr?" Matt, examining the burnt-out carousel, called in response.

"Head back to the car and call a couple of animal control guys down here. Tell 'em they're gonna need a horse trailer for the camel and the ostrich and… hell, I dunno… We've got about fifteen medium-sized animals here. _And_ we're gonna have to have this hunk of junk taken apart and impounded…"

"You know we have phones for that these days, right?"

"I know, but I want you to grab my coffee for me while you're over there."

The other officer rolled his eyes and walked back to where they'd parked on an access road, exiting through the convenient burnt gap in the hedge. "What a mess," he commented. "Why do people always have to destroy nice things?"

Boyd nodded knowingly, but was then distracted by a tug on his pant leg. He glanced down to see a pygmy goat kid nibbling at his ankle. He bent down and picked it up. "Hey there, little guy!"

"Meeh!" the goat bleated at him.

" 'Meeh!' " Boyd echoed back at it with a chuckle. "Don't you worry… we'll take you somewhere they can take care of you." He put the little goat down and gazed at the assortment of animals in the little pen, shaking his head. "Hooligans…" His eye touched on the container labeled as hand sanitizer. "Eh, can't be too careful…" he muttered, dispensing a few pumps of the liquid into his hands and rubbing it on thoroughly. It burned, and not just on the skin—it felt like it was going right through to the bone. He expected it to stop any second, but it quickly worsened, the sensation not confining itself to his hands but running up his arms and then all across his body. He let out a panicked yelp, then a series of agonized screams as his body wrenched around, reforming itself, tearing out of his clothing at the legs and chest. His face and ears elongated, and long spiraling horns erupted from his head, twisting upward. His feet split in half, busting through his shoes and forming into hard hooves, and coarse brown and white hair covered his body, forming a thicker mane behind his head.

Among all the other piercing agony, he didn't feel his mind alter, but as the pain withdrew, the first thing he knew was rage. He kicked the animal pen apart with his cloven hooves, wrenched the "hand sanitizer" loose with his horns, and flung it away. It crashed down on the mud path, the mutagen spilling out of the broken plastic container and soaking ineffectually into the dirt.

The massive goat mutant leapt agilely over the hedgerow with a bellow, scaring a pair of joggers, who fled back the way they came with terrified screams. He tore a topiaried tree apart, and was about to continue to destroy the landscaping when a voice caught his attention.

"Boyd? Terry? Where'd you get to?"

Boyd leapt back over the hedge. Young dropped the cup of coffee in his hand as he backed away from the eight-foot tall mutant goat. Boyd's eyes fell on the paper cup as it splashed its contents on the ground. He growled, glowering at the other officer. "Litterers," he said in a voice much deeper and more gravelly than his own, "…will be prosecuted!"

Young continued to stare at the mutant, shaking as he drew his piece and took aim at the giant goat creature. Boyd spotted the weapon, spun, and deftly kicked the gun out of his partner's hand. Matt yelped and grasped his wrist as it was bent in a direction it wasn't supposed to bend. "Assault with a deadly weapon," the mutant rumbled, "carries a stiff penalty." He reached up and tore a bough off an overhanging willow, stripping the limbs off with his other hand.

As the mutant raised the branch above its head, a glint of gold on the creature's chest caught Young's eye. He focused on the shape on the torn dark blue material… a shield. "Boyd?" he said in realization, then had to roll to his right to avoid the creature's improvised whip. "Boyd! Terry!" he shouted.

The goat mutant froze, responding to his name. "Young…" he identified with a growl.

Matt nodded. "Terr, what happened to you?!" he all but whispered.

A moment of lucidity touched Boyd's mind. This was his partner; you didn't attack your partner. But he had, and part of him still wanted to. He stomped a foot into the earth in frustration. He had to remove himself before he tried to attack Young again. Glancing around desperately, his eyes fell on the burnt gap in the hedge, and beyond it… a sewer grating! He sprang toward it with a great leap, hooves clopping on the concrete as he landed. Dropping to all-fours, he hooked the grate with his horns and threw it, not caring where it landed. It crashed down the access road as Boyd slipped down the gap and disappeared into the sewers.

Matt scrambled toward the grating after him. "Boyd! Boyd! Terry!" he shouted down into the tunnels, receiving no answer other than the rapidly diminishing clip-clop of hooves.

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 _Three weeks ago:_

Donnie scrambled backward from the chained turtle before him, then nearly passed out as his brain screamed in agony. It had been risky, and downright stupid to try to synergize with her in her crazed state, and he had nearly paid the price for trying for one last mental contact as her drives had nearly taken him over and attempted to use his body to rape hers. He'd managed to tear away, and through the burning fire behind his eyes, he grabbed up the syringe of retro-mutagen and plunged it into April's shoulder. She began to shriek in pain as her very cells tore apart to reconfigure themselves and her body rearranged itself back to her human form.

He slipped out of Master Splinter's study as the rat mutant entered to drape his red kimono around the naked girl, but he didn't make it far before she came running after him, intercepting his path.

"Donnie… I'm so sorry, I never wanted to hurt you… I didn't have control over it, I couldn't help it… I couldn't stop!" she blurted out all at once. "I'm sorry, Donnie! I love you!" The turtle stood motionless, not even seeming to take in her words. "Say something!" she pleaded.

He turned away, refusing to meet her gaze and show her the pain in his heart. "April… please go." She choked off a sob, but did as he asked and fled.

Donatello himself tried to make his way to his bedroom, but his feet felt like lead. He had striven so hard to get her back to normal, to give her back her freedom with the vague hope that somehow he could still be a part of her life, to find some way of stopping the nymphomania that had such a grip on her… and to fulfill her wish to remain a turtle. Now, at this moment, he never wanted to see her again. For two months, they had known such dazzling pleasure, and a closeness that other couples could only dream of achieving… But in the last week, it had all fallen apart so disastrously… and the wounds she left on Donnie's heart were the deepest.

For three weeks, he managed to avoid her, always managing to be out when she came for training or patrols, or when she came to cook dinner on Thursdays. His brothers were supportive when Donnie explained what had happened between them. Leonardo had more or less sensed that Don needed time away from April, and always granted his requests to bow out of patrols or hold practice earlier in the day while she was still in school. Raph and Mikey grasped the severity of the situation when Don had explained his last encounter with her. While Raph still thought that Donnie should stop being a coward and tell April to buzz off and Mikey remained optimistic that the two would reconcile, neither pushed the issue, and Donnie was thankful for that. Maybe he could start to forget her….

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 _Today:_

Donnie was leaving the abandoned asylum building, having just checked up on their friends in the Mutant Alliance, when he received a text from April. She had texted several times daily since her reversion and return to the surface, and while Donnie read them all, he refused to answer… until this one: _Urgent: NEED to talk to u. Pls see me._

He'd agreed to meet her, but part of him still wanted to back out. Raph was right, though… he needed to confront her, or he'd always be living in fear….

And the next thing he knew, she was crying in his arms; instead of confronting her, he was comforting her. Somehow, he couldn't help it. His fear of her dissolved as he consoled her remorse. It hadn't been her fault that she couldn't stop herself with her inhibitions put on hold by the flaw in her mutation, and Donnie expressed his own guilt at not seeing the problem soon enough, and denying there was one when Leo pointed it out to him… His love for her had entirely blinded him, and he'd gone willingly.

Fear seized him in a sudden realization. "Jesus, April… Did I… Was I _raping_ you every time we…?!"

April's jaw dropped. "No!" she breathed, her voice nearly deserting her. "No! My poor, sweet Donnie! Don't you _ever_ think that!" she told him, nearly in tears herself. "I wanted you! Every time… I wanted you to! Just… some of them would have been against my better judgment and humility, is all… "

Donnie felt awkward asking, but the question needed to be aired. "So, Raph…"

"Raph was… convenient. I needed someone right there and then, and since you were being difficult…" she trailed off, turning mournful eyes back to him, guilt evident in her face. "I didn't do it to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you…"

But she had. The fact that she had seduced Raph with false tears when Donnie had denied her insatiable lust ached like an reopened wound, but it wasn't one he was going to allow to fester. The past was the past; he could let it go.

"I really did want to stay with you as a turtle," she continued.

Sighing, he turned his head away from her. "I wish I hadn't had to break my promise to you. If things were normal, I'd've fought to let you stay… but things are never normal, are they?"

"Not around you guys, they're not."

Donnie grimaced. "…which is why I want you to go back to your life up top. I don't want to be the millstone around your neck. I want you to be—"

"—free, you've said. You've got a very limited definition of freedom, you know."

He'd been taken aback at this, but she'd explained her choice to stay with him, and she'd been adamant. "I'm not leaving my soul-mate. Period."

Donnie's heart soared, but he could only think about how difficult their relationship would be, given their circumstances. "This is going to make things really complicated… Our lives couldn't possibly get crazier, could they?" She only answered with fidgety silence, so he teased her, prodding her with an elbow. "You missed your cue… This is the part where you say you're pregnant." She gave him an open-mouthed look as her words caught in her throat, and realization dawned that he'd hit the nail on the head. "You're pregnant?"

"I've decided to keep it," she confirmed quietly.

Joy exploded through every part of Donnie's being. He and April were going to have a child together! The girl, nay, the _young woman_ he loved was going to bear his son or daughter, and something about that made him inordinately happy. Perhaps it was that this was the product of their love, despite how brief their period of compatibility had been… made that much more precious by its singularity, as they would never be able to reproduce by normal means again; perhaps because of the miracle that he and April had been granted to be together at all, despite the drawbacks, and that that, in turn, had produced this second little miracle. And maybe because part of him looked forward to the great adventure of parenthood. He hauled her to her feet and grabbled her around the waist, spinning her around wildly on the platform. "I'm gonna be a father!" he hollered. She shrieked with laughter as he gave her a toss in the air and caught her again, planting beaky turtle kisses across her face. "When? How far along are you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Could be a few weeks, could be near three months… I haven't gone to the doctor's yet…" Her face grew somber for a moment. "There's a chance… that… it's Raph's…"

He hid a scowl, instead giving a dismissive shake of the head. She must have been with Raphael longer than he'd thought… but even if the baby was Raph's, did it make a difference? Donnie would love it all the same. It would probably give Raph no joy to learn if the child was his by his and April's chance encounter. The very thought of fatherhood would probably give Donnie's more volatile brother an ulcer. He decided Raph didn't need to know. "Doesn't matter. I'm claiming it as mine," he told April.

She beamed, and they stared into each other's eyes as their mental connection fired up, familiar as ever, strong, beautiful emotions singing back and forth between them. _Huh, it still works,_ he noticed.

 _Sure it does,_ April thought back. _Our souls still know each other._

The two professed their love for one another aloud, then Donnie captured one of her hands in his and dragged her excitedly along behind him. "Come on!"


	2. Chapter 1 - Entanglement

Chapter 1 – Entanglement

"WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY!" Donnie shouted from the entrance to the lair, arms wide above him. April appeared behind him a moment later, a radiant smile gracing her features.

Reactions went up from Don's brothers in various parts of the lair. Michelangelo let out an rapturous squeal and was on his feet in an instant, bounding over to the pair and hugging April ecstatically. Donnie was certain Mikey was already picking out names for their Apritello offspring.

Leo was, as always, calmer with his congratulation, but his warmth toward his brother and their closest friend radiated from his wider-than-usual grin, reflecting Donnie's own face-splitting smile.

The rice-paper door of Splinter's room slid open swiftly and the rat mutant emerged hurriedly. "Did I hear you correctly, Donatello?"

Don nodded to him fervently. " _Otoo-san_ , you're going to be _ojii-san_!" he announced, pulling April away from Mikey to present her before their master. The aging rat let out a barking laugh and embraced them both, first April, then his son.

"Indeed, this is a cause for great celebration!"

"Already on it, Sensei!" Mikey called, dialing his t-phone. "Yeah, I'm gonna need three extra-larges, double-everything…"

Splinter sighed and shook his head. "We all have our ways of celebrating," he acknowledged with a chuckle, and after a brief conversation with the couple, bowed and retreated to his study once again.

Donnie expected at the least some ribbing or complaint of some sort from Raph, but his normally brash brother was more reticent than normal. In fact, though Raphael was leaning on one of the lair's support pillars with his arms crossed in his usual swaggering posture, his expression read as lost and possibly even a bit fearful, staring at their human friend. Leaving April chatting with Leo, Don approached him. "Raph?"

"Oh… um… Congratulations, Donnie," Raph mumbled guiltily.

Don nodded his thanks. "You all right?"

"Fine," Raph lied, though his eyes still drifted back to April.

Donnie leaned against the pillar, facing away from his brother. "You're worried it's yours," he deduced.

The red-masked turtle's eyes flicked sideways to Donnie in mild surprise. After a moment of staring, Raph sighed and conceded. "Yeah."

"Hmf," Don grunted. "Typical."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Raph snapped.

Donnie treated him to a mocking smirk. "It's just like you to assume your sperm would beat mine out… that despite the hundred or so times I had sex with April, you're the one to manage to get her knocked-up."

Raph blinked, a bit stunned. Clearly, that had been the thread of what he had been thinking. He looked dubious. "It's possible, though, isn't it? I mean… we did it twice before you stormed in on us…"

Donnie snorted, not meeting his brother's gaze. "D'you remember that evening? D'you remember that April and I were out having a picnic that night, and that we came home completely exhausted?" Raph was silent. Donnie knew he remembered, though he may not have realized that detail. "Raph, I had her _seven times_ before she came after you. _Seven_. So unless you think you hit some magical window when you did her, or you think that I'm impotent—which I wouldn't put past you—"

"Hey, c'mon, Donnie, don't put words in my mouth!"

"—then there's practically no chance it's yours."

Rapahel considered his brother's words for a few moments, becoming suspicious. Donnie was usually more precise about numbers. " 'Practically none' isn't 'none,' though, is it?"

Don let out an aggravated sigh. "If it was yours, Raph, what did you plan to do? Knock me out with your club and drag April off to your man-cave by her hair?" He managed to get a guffaw out of his brother with that one, but the humor went out of his brother as soon as it had appeared and the mask of concern reappeared.

"I just…" the red-banded turtle started, frustratedly, then cut himself off. "If I'm the father, I need to stand up and take responsibility… take care of her and the baby."

"And, what, you think you can do that better than me too?" He smirked as Raph gave him another wide-eyed look. "I've got this. She's not going to be one of those soap-opera single mothers, you know… she has me. I'll take care of her, provide for her. Even if by some pale chance the kid was biologically yours, which isn't something I'm going to delve into unless it's really necessary, it's not like that would make me reject it or treat it any differently than if it was mine… which it is, Mr. My-Sperm-Are-Better-Than-Your-Sperm."

A fist came around the side of the pillar, smacking Donnie in the shoulder. He winced, rubbing the spot so it wouldn't bruise. Clearly, Raph was feeling back in his element again. "Donnie… Thanks."

He smiled. "Sure."

Having exhausted her conversation with Leo, April headed toward the two turtles leaning against the pillar. "So, what're you guys talking about over here all quiet-like?"

"Oh, Raph's just going on about how he's going to steal you and the baby away from me. I guess he wants a little family for him—" He dodged a second blow as Raph's fist came around the side of the pillar again. "—self!"

Raph let out a low growl. "Donnie!"

"…especially since I'm so much more virulent than him!" He was tempting fate, taunting his brother, but his excitement had made him a bit punch drunk. He danced out of the path of another of Raph's swings. "Whoo-ha-ha!"

Raph pounded a fist into his hand. "April, congratulations… 'scuse me while I knock some humility into your baby's daddy…" With that, he lunged at Donnie, chasing him across the lair with a yell.

April gave an appreciative chuckle as Raph tackled his brother and delivered a series of punches. Don did his best to block, used to this treatment from years of experience, but still emitting the occasional "Ow!"

"Don't rough him up too bad, Raph… I wanted Donnie to come with me to tell my dad tonight."

"Hah-wha?" Donnie's head came up, promptly receiving a blow to the side. He caught Raph's next punch and held it, focus on April. Raph eased off his roughhousing, seeing the shocked look on Don's face. "You haven't told your father yet?"

She gave an awkward shrug. "I was waiting to see how you'd react first, to see what I'd need to do afterward…"

Donnie picked himself up off the floor, hurrying to her side, concern etched on his face. "Did you tell anyone before me?"

She shook her head slightly. "I tried to tell Casey, but… I just couldn't…"

"And you broke down crying." April gave him a nod with an odd inquiring expression. "He told me," Don explained.

"You've been keeping tabs on me?!" she asked mock-indignantly. "I didn't know I had a stalker!"

He led her back to the entryway steps and sat down with her. "Nothing like that… I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

"I wasn't," she admitted softly.

He sighed and wrapped her in his arms. "I should have been there for you. If I wasn't such a coward, I would have been."

"Donnie…" April chastised warmly, "I know you're no coward."

"Oh yeah? Well…" He connected to her mind, sending an image of himself transferring the food she had left for him to a different plate, rewrapping the foil so it looked like he hadn't deigned touch it, and putting the empty dish back in the refrigerator.

April swatted his shoulder. "You horrible sneak!" she laughed, then sobered as she picked up on some of his related feelings: how much it had scared him to lose control of his body to the force of her driving lust, the horror that it nearly used him to rape her, the disgust of being defiled and used in such a way, the terror that he would be used to hurt her… He was justified in his avoidance of her, she realized. And then, shame: shame at his failure to recognize the problem, at being taken advantage of, at being used as a sex toy, in telling his brothers about the encounter, at being too afraid to so much as talk to her, ashamed of… being ashamed? Yes… part of him was embarrassed at having had these feelings. Tears sprung into her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. No wonder he had sent her away! She'd been the source of so much pain to him… _Donnie, I'm so sorry!_ she repeated.

A feeling of love and warmth blanketed her from him. _It's all right… it's all over now,_ he comforted, wiping the damp trails on her cheeks away with his thumb. _We're together again, like we should be, and I'll never leave you. Besides,_ he added, placing a three-fingered hand just below her ribcage, where a tiny life was growing within her, _some good came out of all this._

 _I love you,_ she sent, leaning in to gently capture his beak with her lips.

 _I know, Beautiful,_ he replied. _I love you too!_

The pair spent several minutes just kissing, their wonderful, warm emotions swirling around them as they reveled in each other's presence: something that they had not experienced in weeks. They would have stayed there longer, lost in one another, had Mikey not arrived with a shout of, "Pizza's here!" right behind them. April dodged as she was nearly stampeded by Leo and Raph, who were drawn as if magnetized at Mikey's summons. Donnie stood and helped her to her feet, ushering her in front of him to grab a few slices before obtaining some for himself.

She mindfully checked her watch. "It's getting late… maybe we ought to take this to go," she mentioned to her turtle companion.

"You're not staying?" Mikey asked, pouting. "But… it's movie night!"

"Sorry, Mikey… we've got something important to take care of tonight," Donnie informed his brother. "We'll have to take a rain-check."

The younger turtle wilted slightly. "Aww. All right…"

"Next time," April assured him. "We'll do a double-feature to make up for it."

Mikey brightened. "I know just what we can watch! Night of the Crawlers 1 and 2!"

April chuckled. "Sounds great. See you!" Donnie put his arm around her shoulder and the two of them walked out, munching their pizza.

"I've known him my whole life, and still, I think you know how to handle Mikey better than I do…" Donnie mused, then glanced over at April. "You're not picking the peppers and olives off?"

"Mmmh," she answered with a nod as she swallowed. "Normally, I really hate them, but now, for some reason, they just smell delicious…"

Donnie laughed and hugged her close as they walked. "My beautiful pregnant angel is having cravings!"

April gave him a sidelong look. "You had better not be this enthusiastic about me having morning sickness, or I may have to kill you."

He grinned widely at her. "I'll try not to."

April entered her building at ground level while Donatello silently dropped down to her fire escape from the rooftop, where she let him in moments later. He noted the distraught look on her features, and how she fidgeted. Her nervousness reached him through their link. He tried to send soothing vibes to her. 

_I really don't know how he's going to react to this…_ She fussed with her hair. _How do I look?_

Donnie put his hands on her shoulders. _Absolutely radiant_.

She rolled her eyes at him. _You're biased. S_ he checked herself over, using his eyes to see herself through their link.

 _Yes, I am,_ he admitted.

She giggled, then sighed. "Well, this is it…" Taking his hands from her shoulders, she led him over to the sofa.

As the two of them sat on the couch, Kirby O'Neil emerged from the kitchen, having just poured himself a large glass of soda. "Well, good evening, you two! Only Donatello tonight, or are the others here and doing their ninja thing?" he laughed good-naturedly, joining them on the couch.

"No, it's just the two of us," April responded, reaching behind her to take one of Donnie's hands, searching for support. "Dad... we have something we need to tell you…"

"Oh?" Kirby asked in a knowing manner, swirling the ice in his drink. "Is it going to keep me from watching Late Night?"

"Maybe…" April fretted.

"If it's that you're in love," he chuckled, "I'm already well aware."

She winced. "No, that's not it…" She paused, bracing herself. "Dad, I'm pregnant."

Though Kirby had thought he was prepared for their announcement, this wasn't the one he was prepared for. His glass slipped out of his shocked hand and bounced off the cushion of the couch, landing in April's lap. She stood at once with a gasp, shedding ice cubes and dripping soda. "Dad!" she chastised.

"Sorry, Honey…" her father apologized, now the one fretting instead of his daughter as he scrambled for a roll of paper towels and a can of rug cleaner.

April threw her hands up. "Now I'm gonna have to go get all cleaned up!"

"We've got this, you go…" Donnie waved her off, disconnecting from her mind as he took a handful of paper towels from Kirby and started sponging cola off the couch. She shot him a grin over her shoulder as she left the room.

With the soda spill cleaned up, and April taking a shower to wash the stickiness off of her, Donnie found himself sitting awkwardly across the couch from April's father, who was giving him a steady glower in the uncomfortable silence. When he thought Donnie had sweated it out long enough silently, Kirby finally asked, "How did this happen?"

Donnie's nervous brain immediately dove for its comfort zone. "Well, when a spermatophyte enters a female's ovum, the zygote that forms attaches itself to the placental wall—and this is not at all what you meant…" he halted, more unnerved than ever.

The intensity of Kirby's glare only increased. "What were your sperm doing anywhere near my daughter's ova?!"

"Well I… She was… um…" He fidgeted, tapping his fingers together. "Oh, come on! She was a turtle! Possibly the only female mutant turtle in the world—an absolutely gorgeous female turtle whom I was already deeply, deeply in love with! How was I supposed to resist that?!" he blurted, his frustration tinged with a bit of temper.

Kirby snapped back, "She's barely seventeen! She's still in school! Honestly, Donatello, I had taken you as being more responsible than this…"

Donatello looked as though he had been physically struck. His level of responsibility within the lair rivaled Leo's, possibly even exceeding it in the broad scope of his duties. He was in charge of maintenance of the lair and vehicles, taking care of the family's medical needs, creation of retro-mutagen for first Kirby, then April, and now their friend Frito, and soon, other friends and victims of mutation… even their enemies; his responsibility extended to them too. It fell on him to invent and patch together all sorts of electronics to help them in their daily lives, from the T-phone network to the mutagen tracker to the tech on board the Shellraiser. He took care of all their research and developed an algorithm to decrypt whatever came through the Kraang communication orb. For April's father to accuse him of being irresponsible rankled him.

Kirby fired off another pot-shot at him. "You couldn't have at least used protection?"

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, because I can just saunter into any mini-mart in the city and purchase a condom the length of my arm!"

Kirby shook his head as though he didn't want to think about the turtle biology implied in that statement and ploughed forward. "I'd like to say I know you well enough that you could have developed some sort of contraceptive..."

Donatello looked flabbergasted. "Was I supposed to make a turtle birth control pill before or after April's retro-mutagen, Kirby?" he snapped, reminding April's father where the priorities lay.

The man dropped his head onto his balled fists, as frustrated with this conversation as Don himself was. He let out a quavering sigh and looked Donnie in the eyes, now a bit calmer. "I'm just worried for her. It's bad enough that she'll carry the stigma of teen pregnancy through her last year of high school, but she may lose her chance to go to college, or find a good job… And the expenses… Neonatal care costs so much, I'm afraid we'll have to dig into April's college fund to take care of everything. Plus all the trappings: the crib, clothes, diapers, carriers, toys… I don't know that I can afford to feed another mouth on my salary…"

Money, that's what half of it came down to. Donnie chuckled, staring into space for a moment. "Could it be that simple?" Kirby shifted his gaze to the turtle querulously. "All I really need to do is get a job," he stated optimistically.

"Pardon me, Donatello, but you don't seem like your typical suit-and-tie commuter…"

He shook his head. "Wouldn't have to be. You're thinking in terms of your generation, where everything is brick and mortar buildings and driving through rush-hour traffic to work, whereas I can work from the lair, or here, or wherever I want—relatively speaking. I'd never have to be seen… doing programming on commission, web-design, tech support… who knows what?"

"You would be able to do that? You'd be willing to?"

The blissful grin returned to Donnie's face. "For my Darling Blossom and our baby, anything!"

Satisfied with this solution and unable to remain dour in the face of such a bright smile, the man at last gave in and allowed Donatello a lopsided smile in return. "You remind me of myself when I was asking April's grandfather permission to marry her mother…"

The idea seemed to smack Donnie upside the head from out in left field. Why hadn't he thought of that? "Proposing…" His jaw went slack. Kirby didn't seem to notice, continuing his ramble.

"Took three times before he said yes. Wouldn't have his daughter marrying some long-haired miscreant. I finally made the sacrifice to cut it back. Funny thing, though, there was less and less left from that point on…" he said, running a hand over his bald pate.

"Kirby," Donnie asked, his mouth suddenly going very dry, "would I have permission to marry April? I know it's a lot to ask, me being a mutant and all…"

Kirby gave him an even gaze that wasn't quite the glare he'd held on Donnie before, but Don's stomach lurched as the psychologist shook his head. "It's not _my_ permission you need, but hers." When Donnie gave him an astonished, recovering look, he added, "Women's Lib Movement. Granted, a mutant turtle wouldn't have been my first choice for my daughter to marry, but at least it would be a step above having that obnoxious Jones boy as my son-in-law…"

Donnie snickered, thinking about how April's time as a turtle had solidly knocked his rival out of the running for her affections, and how Casey certainly would have balked at such a subject as April being pregnant. Still, the boy's heart was in the right place… had Donnie not been there, and Raph not willing to step up, Donatello had no doubt Casey would have been there for her.

Had it come to that, really, Donnie had to admit, April could have done much worse than Casey Jones. Still, he was immensely glad that April's accidental mutation had skewed so much in his own favor. They'd become nigh inseparable.

April appeared from her bedroom, dressed in lavender and pale yellow pajamas. "How's it going?" she asked Donnie. "Did you manage to bring Dad around on how awesome it's going to be to have a grandchild yet?"

"Well, we haven't gotten that far yet, but I think he's starting to come around…" the turtle smirked.

Kirby stood, opening his arms for his daughter to run into. "Well, after the initial shock, and your beau allaying some of my fears, I'm actually thrilled about it! Congratulations, Bug."

April beamed up to him. "Thanks, Daddy," she said, hugging him tight.

"But now, it looks like Donatello has something he'd like to say to you," Kirby smiled down on her.

She turned, curiously and met Donnie's eyes. Their synergy surged to life, and she gasped at the thoughts awaiting her. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Donnie had his answer before he dropped to one knee before her, of course, but he did so for show and for Kirby's benefit. "April, will—"

"Yes!" she squeaked, diving into his embrace and showering him with love in their connection and kisses in the physical plane.

Kirby chuckled. "I believe that's my cue to head to bed. Good night, you two lovebirds."

" _Goodnight, Kirby,_ " the pair said concurrently, earning a strange look from April's father.

April waved him off. "I'll explain later, Dad."

Kirby nodded amenably and left the room. "Don't stay up too late, you two."

He didn't receive a response this time; the synergists' lips locked together as firmly as their minds.

-The rest of this chapter has been excerpted, due to adult content in the next scene. Find the full version on AFF, Ao3, or Stealthy Stories.-


	3. Chapter 2 - Best Man for the Job

**a/n: I've been coaxed into putting up the next chapter, despite it being my buffer... hopefully I'll be able to get the next one out soon, but I'm having a little trouble getting through the following chapter while juggling some other things. Thanks for your patience, my dears. :)**

 **Like last time, this is just a preview... you can read the full version on Ao3 or AdultFanFiction.**

Chapter 2 – Best Man For the Job

Donatello stood back and gave a nod of approval, looking over his handiwork. Over the course of a week, he had managed to put together a crisp, attractive and professional-looking website, advertising his new business. The header on the front page declared it proudly to be Renaissance Programming Solutions, an independent programming contractor for hire, available for coding, debugging, web-development and more. The front page sported a picture of a reasonably handsome young man in a suit, which Donnie had swiped somewhat randomly and a bit abashedly from a lineup of realtors' photos. He had set up ad banners in circles that were the likeliest to respond to his offered services. Kirby, approving of Don's enthusiasm and drive to support his daughter, had agreed to set up a bank account for the business and added April as a signer so she would be able to draw money out of it as well.

It had all been so simple, in the end, that Donnie had been on edge for days, waiting to run into some obstacle or other that hampered his progress in the least, but none had come, and he started to calm down and anxiously awaited his first contract. The worry that no orders would come was likewise unnerving—how would he be able to support April and the baby if no one contacted him?—but after four days, he was contacted by a company in Montana that needed their old database system updated to something more modern. Donnie accepted the job eagerly and dove into the project with fervor.

The coding, though time-consuming to construct, was really child's play for him. The challenge, it turned out, was keeping his brothers from interrupting him.

Leo leaned around the corner of the lab. "Hey, Donnie?"

"Yeah, Leo?" Don responded without looking up from the lines of code he was typing.

"Have you noticed the Shellraiser riding a little hard since the last teardown you did on it?"

Donnie sighed, eyes still on his screen. "I'll have a look at it later."

Leo nodded. "You coming out for training?"

"Yes, as long as I can get this done." The slight edge on Donnie's voice was enough to let Leo know that he was testing his brother's patience, and he withdrew without another word.

Fifteen minutes later, Raphael invaded the lab. "Hey, genius. When are you gonna get around to making me those new shuko spikes?"

"If you're missing them so much, you shouldn't have given yours to Frito."

"Come on, Donnie… Cav was gonna get that kid killed. Those grips probably saved his life."

Donnie nodded. He, too, would have hated to see anything happen to the young raccoon mutant. Raph's sacrifice had been straight from the heart, but it was a critical piece of a ninja's gear, and Raphael, who liked clinging to the sides of buildings, was clearly missing his. "I'll get to them when I can, but I'll need to forage around one of the scrap yards to find a good piece of iron rebar."

"When're you planning on going?" Raph pressed.

"I don't know. Look, I'm trying to focus on this…"

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Nerd…" Raph jabbed as a parting shot on his way out.

Donnie had about twenty minutes of uninterrupted silence to work in before Mikey crashed in on his skateboard. "Donnie! Come sewer-boarding with me!"

Don's hands went up to clutch his head in irritation. "Mikey, I'm _working_. I don't have time to goof around with you right now."

Mikey whined dejectedly. "But Donnie, I'm _bored!_ And you've been at this for, like, an hour! You can take a break and have some fun…" He suddenly cowered under the fiery glare his older brother gave him. Donnie's temper had reached the end of its fuse. He stood and spun Mikey around, then with one hand on his carapace, shoved the younger turtle out the lab door. "I'm sorry, Donnie… I just—" Mikey tried to apologize for somehow offending Donatello, missing the real source of his anger.

"Everybody get over here, NOW!" Donnie demanded, making Leo and Raph exchange a stunned glance. Donatello waited until they gathered in front of him before he started lecturing. "I am officially _working_ , you guys. This isn't just messing around, it isn't something I can put off until later, and it's something I need concentration for. What I _don't_ need is people coming in to bother me about skateboarding, or shuko spikes, or how the Shellraiser is running!"

"We asked you a couple simple questions, and you're biting our heads off about it," Leonardo rebuffed.

"It's still an interruption! Every time one of you comes in to pester me, I lose the whole train of thought I was working on constructing. I'm trying to cram eight hours of productivity into the only six hours in the day I can afford, when I'm not training or going on patrol or making retro-mutagen. Right now, this is my top priority: making money to support April and the baby."

"The baby's not even going to be born for at least six months," Raph grumped. "Not like April needs the money right now…"

"Not immediately, but there are all sorts of appointments and scans and things April needs to have while she's pregnant, and apparently the prenatal and neonatal care are really expensive, and not wholly covered by Kirby's insurance, meaning, I have to earn and save as much as I can to make sure all the expenses get covered."

"With all due respect, Donnie, you're a ninja, first and foremost. What could be more important than training?"

Mikey likewise interjected, "What could be more important than skateboarding?"

His brothers all blinked at him. "Um, a lot of things, Mikey," Raph sighed at him. "Like making sure every ninja on the team has all their gear," he added meaningfully.

"AND that the vehicles are in proper working order," Leo added.

"I'll get to all of that when I can, but my point is, _not right now_. I need to focus on my work, and I need you guys to leave me alone while I'm working, and that means no coming in to talk with me, no knocking on the door, and no skateboarding or otherwise coming in to play in my lab. We clear?"

After a second of silence, Donnie's three brothers all broke into a series of complaints against him, which were suddenly and immediately silenced by the stoic presence of Master Splinter among them. "Your brother is attempting to accommodate all he can for us all as he tries to balance the new challenges in life that he is faced with. He does not need your complaints, which only add to his burden, but your support. He makes a small request of you. Think of all the things Donatello has done for us, and then consider if you would deny him the solitude he requires to provide for his new family."

Leo, Mikey and Raph all looked slightly ashamed of themselves. "Sorry, Donnie. We'll leave you alone," Raph stated abashedly, and scooted off.

"Yeah," Leo echoed. "And, ya know… don't worry about working on the Shellraiser… It can wait. And if you need to bow out of patrol in the evening or anything…"

Don nodded. "Thanks, Leo, but it's okay. Like I said, I'll get to it," he said, shooing the leader off.

Mikey gave him an apologetic look with raised eyebrows. "Sewer-boarding later?"

Donnie gave him a wearied smile. "Maybe this evening." He turned to reenter his lab as Mikey rolled off on his skateboard, but paused as Splinter made no move to leave. "Sensei?"

The aged ninjutsu master laid a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "Do not overburden yourself, my son. One who chases two hares will not catch either."

Donnie pondered over his sensei's wisdom for a moment. "Yeah… um… I will consider that, but right now I need to get back to work…"

Splinter shook his head. "You have good intentions toward us all, but do not allow them to cause yourself harm." He bowed to Donatello, who returned the gesture.

As Splinter returned to his chambers, Donnie bustled back into his lab, shutting the door behind him with a stressed-out sigh. He once again began typing out lines of code, when, minutes later, the timer he had set next to the centrifuge let out a pert "ding!" Don's forehead thunked against the desk. "Et tu, centrifuge?"

A shocked Casey Jones sprayed a mouthful of soda in Donnie's direction. Don raised an arm to deflect part of the spray. "April is _pregnant?_ " He paused, considering. "I guess that explains the sudden crying…"

Donnie shrugged, looking down to the alley from their perch atop the fortune cookie factory, scanning for any Purple Dragon activity in the vicinity. The turtles hadn't seen any movement from the group in weeks; they were due. And yet, nothing, so their patrol had wound down to just sitting, watching from their outpost.

"She _was_ legitimately upset about our breakup, though," Don told him. "She said she was going to try to tell you she was… you know… with child, but she couldn't do it. She was scared."

"Scared?"

"Of how you'd react… that you'd drop her too as soon as you found out."

Casey glared accusationally at the turtle. "I wouldn't've done that! April's… She's too good a friend. I mean, obviously it's not me she's interested in, never really has been, but she's still one of the nicest people I've ever known, and if she needed me, I'd be there for her, no matter what!"

Donnie quirked a sideways smile at him. "I'm glad. She may need you at her side when I can't be there. I'm given to believe teen pregnancies get treated to some pretty harsh gossip and ridicule."

"No matter what," the vigilante reiterated, emphasizing each word proudly.

"They're gonna think you're the father, you realize…"

Casey shrugged nonchalantly. "Let 'em think. It's a lot tamer than the truth." He drew himself up proudly. "Once we're out of school, I'll even marry her." He took a long swig of his soda.

"Dream on, Casey-nova! The position of fiancé has already been filled. I proposed to her the same night she told me she was pregnant," Don said smugly, then had to throw his arm up as Casey showered him with another mouthful of sprayed soda.

"Proposed?! You really know how to shut a guy out of the game, D…"

Donnie shook droplets off his arm as best as he could with a glower at his rival. "That one was totally on purpose, wasn't it?"

Casey returned his look with a mean-spirited smirk. "Totally was. How'd you get a ring? Just wait for one to fall into the sewers?"

Donatello's expression dropped. "R…ring?"

"Dude, you're supposed to give her a ring when you propose! It's like, to seal the deal."

Donnie's eyes flicked back and forth in realization. "I didn't— It was sort of spur-of-the-moment… "

"Ha! So she's still available! Casey Jones stays in the game!"

"Casey Jones had better not even think about it, or he's gonna have five feet of my bo somewhere really uncomfortable!" Donnie fired back, quirking an eyebrow at his rival.

Casey waved his hands in a calming gesture. "Kidding, D… Just kidding."

Donnie shook his head, glancing back toward the street. His brows knit. "So… if you knew April obviously wasn't interested in you, why keep butting heads with me over her?"

"You gotta stay in the game until the bitter end, even if it looks like you've already lost, because you never know if you're gonna get the chance to even the odds and score the winning goal in those last few seconds."

"I guess I should've expected a hockey metaphor from you."

"It's what I'm best at… Gotta go with your strengths," Jones grinned.

The turtle gave him a smirk and a nod. "How about being best at something else?"

Casey glanced back curiously. "Like what?"

"Would you be our best man?"

The vigilante paused, then gave an ironic laugh. "Casey Jones… would be honored. I'll be the best best man ever!"

Donnie held out his hand, and the two of them shook on it. "Great. I really appreciate it." He straightened up a bit. "And your first duty, as best man, is finding a ring for—"

"Hold up, D…" Casey interrupted, eyes focused on the street below. "Is that Sid?"

Don joined him, looking down over the balustrade as the barrel-chested gang member wandered past, almost aimlessly. "That's him all right," he confirmed, "but no sign of Tsoi or Fong?"

"I've never seen a Purple Dragon look so much like a kicked puppy. There's something weird about this…" Taking a few steps back on the roof and without any prelude, he ran and jumped to the opposing building, descending the fire escape with an unnecessary amount of clattering steps.

"Casey, what are you—?!" Donatello whispered after him, then followed, much more stealthily and keeping himself camouflaged in the shadows.

"Yo, Sid!" Casey announced himself loudly. "Where's your buddies?!"

The muscle-bound Purple Dragon whirled around at Jones's shout, drawing a blade from a sheath on his hip, but though he fell into an attack stance, the lost, frightened look didn't leave his features. He wasn't going to fight on his own.

"Where's Fong?" Casey demanded.

Sid looked dubious, then finally answered, "I dunno."

"Whaddya mean, you don't know?" The vigilante drew his hockey stick, letting the Dragon know he wasn't above beating the information out of him.

"I mean, I dunno!" Sid insisted, raising his voice in annoyance. "We was pullin' a gig, and Fong stayed outside to watch for those turtle-freak friends a' yours. Tsoi and I heard him yell, and Tsoi went out to see what happened, and when neither of 'em came back, I went out to check on 'em, but they was gone."

"Sure they didn't just ditch your sorry ass?" Casey prodded.

The man shook his head. "They ain't been home. Nobody's seen 'em. And that ain't all—I heard rumors from some a' the other Dragons… lotsa people going missing 'round here."

Casey pondered for a moment. "If so many people have gone missing, why aren't there cops all over this place, looking for them, or whoever took 'em?"

Sid snorted derisively. "Who cares if some gang members go missing, right? They go through the motions, but it's all bullshit… they don't do nothin' to find nobody."

Donnie dropped soundlessly onto the lid of a dumpster between the two. Sid flinched and backed up a few paces, switchblade at the ready, but the turtle made no further movement toward him, and he lowered it again. "Where was this 'gig' of yours? And how long ago?"

The turtle and the teen vigilante rushed to the alley behind the antique shop. Donatello motioned for Casey to stay back as he examined the ground for any evidence. There were tire tracks which looked to be from a garbage truck that had emptied nearby dumpsters, and a puddle of muck produced by a recent rain, both of which had likely obliterated any tracks left behind by the kidnapper. Donnie shook his head. "Ehh, any sign of Fong or Tsoi has already been wiped out or washed away."

Casey joined him, looking down at the tire tracks in the alley mud. "So, we've got nothing. No great loss, I guess…"

Donnie humphed. "Yeah, this case has gone cold. Even if it's just the Purple Degenerates, it doesn't mean whoever's doing this can just kidnap people. We'll keep an eye out for the kidnapper, but until we can find some actual evidence, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

"So much for this patrol…" Casey grumbled. "We callin' it a night?"

"I suppose so," Don sighed, shaking his head at the barren alleyway. "I'll give you a call about you-know-what next week."

"You got it. Later, D!" Popping his skates in place, Casey disappeared around the corner, into the main street.

 **a/n: And that's all I can post here! Check out the full version on Adultfanficion or Ao3!**


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